Shishi Honpou
Shishi Honpou, formerly known as Hinomi Hyūga, is a former covert ops, Yokai terrorist, current mercenary-for-hire, and the wife of Inochi Yamanaka. Having defected from the village of Jikanogakure after fifty years of being trapped in another dimension, Shishi set out to find some sort of purpose in her life. During this time, she was abducted by the Black Crown and was warped into a weapon to use as a last resort, her humanity stripped away until all she could feel was hatred and anger, the two most vital emotions that spur killing. For the longest time, her humanity was trapped in the deepest confines of her mind, imprisoned and broken. It took the intervention of Inochi Yamanaka to finally free her mind. Thankful for finally gaining her sense of humanity back, Shishi travels with Inochi in the hopes of redeeming herself by fighting back the very force that turned her into a weapon. Background Hinomi was born seventy four years ago in the village of Jikanogakure, a flourishing village that was still recovering from the attacks from the Fourth Shinobi World War. Her father, a prestigious member of the Hyūga clan, was always hard on her when it came to training, but he wanted her to be ready for anything that would come her way, no matter how worse it got. When she turned ten, she was enrolled in the Academy, where she gained high marks thanks to her skills in taijutsu. While she was somewhat lacking in the other departments, she was quick to pick up on what she needed to learn and nonetheless passed the academy with flying colors. When she became a Genin, she was tasked with some of the more difficult missions due to both her skills, and the skills of her teammates. They passed these missions with flying colors thanks to their willingness to cooperate with one another. This would become vital in the Chunin Exams, where they managed to make it to the semifinals, but couldn't quite get into the finals themselves. Regardless, their incredible skills shown in their missions and in the Chunin Exams allowed them to become Chunin. Some time after, the village of Jikanogakure was forming a battalion specifically for fighting off forces like those seen in the preceding war. At the age of sixteen, Hinomi was recruited to become one of its first captains. Seeing this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Hinomi accepted the position. But there was more to this than just keeping the village safe. Hinomi would be sent abroad, across the entirety of the world, specifically around Jikanogakure's allies, in order to provide covert operations to certain individuals. Whether it was killing a high ranking target that threatened the sanctity of a village's wellbeing, stealing classified and very vital documents, tailing a potential lead to a hideout, or merely walking a high value mark's dog, she did a little bit of everything. It wasn't always glamorous work, but it paid well and kept food on the table. But she always had to make sure to stay under the radar of law enforcement, which meant having to do things of very questionable legality, but it provided her with an invaluable set of skills only an elite spy could possess. As a spy, Hinomi dropped her Hyūga name, replacing it with Shishi Honpou and did everything she could to hide her Hyūga heritage, even resorting to placing seals on her memories to make sure she forgot her Hyūga heritage. During this time, a war was beginning to break out. A terrorist threat known as the Black Crown were attacking vital locations, including the Kage Summit, where many Daimyo and innocent civilians lost their lives. The village of Otogakure was leveled to the ground, with no trace of the village left. Shishi, who was able to predict where the Black Crown was moving thanks to a series of documents she had stolen from them, was one of the instrumental forces in pushing back the tide, alongside the Jikanokage's parents; the Daimyo and his assistant. They pushed the Black Crown back in a decisive victory that left them shattered, destroying what resistance they had left before they had the opportunity to revive the Shinju. Shishi's skills earned her the respect from both the Jikanokage and the Daimyo of Time, and they made her part of the royal guard. After the war was over, she was able to enjoy a decent period of peace. But this peace would not last. The village of Jikanogakure would find itself trapped in a dimension between space and time. While time itself wouldn't be as spread out to them as it would to the outside, they were gone for a very long time. Dorutan, the Daimyo of Time, devised a way to push through the dimension and return the village back to reality. While this was happening, Shishi grew distraught over the fact that this wasn't a force she could fight back, and she felt useless. When Dorutan finally managed to break out of the dimension, Shishi took this opportunity to leave the village. Before doing so, however, she stole an experimental suit of armor that the village's research division was working on, leaving a note behind saying that she'll return one day when her mind is in the right place again. From there, she left the village behind and began traveling on her own. As she traveled, she was knocked unconscious by a sudden blow to the neck. When she came to, she found herself in a dark room surrounded by figures that all seemed to form the points of a crown. When they told her they were going to make her into a weapon, she refused, saying she works alone. But they weren't going to let her go. Instead, they warped her mind, stripping most of her emotions away, taking away her very humanity and locking it into the deepest confines of her mind. They then sent her off to a small village that was hosting a famous singer. Followed by many forces of the organization known as the Black Crown, they attacked the village, killing many people. One of them was targeted for her skills in Earth Release and for the fact she was a Yamanaka. While Shishi wouldn't partake in this battle, she observed the Yamanaka as she fought back the enemy forces and escaped the village. Using this as an opportunity, Shishi began tailing her to a village on the outskirts of the village that was destroyed. Taking a day to scout around the village, she began the attack by having a contention force begin the assault to lure Inochi out. While the combatants proved a worthy foe for the Yamanaka once they merged into a giant, she was able to subdue them thanks to her embodiment with the Earth, and then buried them deep in the earth. Using this opportunity in the belief the Yamanaka would have been fatigued by her fight with them, Shishi started the offensive, but noticed her usage of Muai Boran, a martial art she was skilled in, but it seemed her opponent was much more skilled. Shishi would find herself subdued by the Yamanaka. While unconscious, the Yamanaka entered her mind and introduced herself as Inochi, and opened up to her, helping her troubled mind be more at ease. This helped Shishi become more comfortable in telling Inochi who she is and who she was working for. While this was going on, Inochi was slowly breaking away the bonds that the Black Crown put on her mind, until eventually her mind was free, and her emotions were able to return. Eternally grateful for Inochi's interventions, she became the Yamanaka's partner in the hopes of finding redemption for her acts by fighting the very force that made her into a weapon. During their travels, she realized how important Inochi really was in saving her. She could reveal more about herself to Inochi than she could to anyone else outside the village of Jikanogakure. She felt a bond growing with her and the Yamanaka. But Inochi felt Shishi was hiding something, something that slipped past Inochi's senses the first time. Inochi had a hunch that Shishi as a Hyūga. She saw it in the way Shishi fought. She'd slip into her Gentle Fist stance, even if it was only for a second, or use a form of taijutsu that was more soft than her brutish Muay Boran. What she didn't know, was when Inochi freed Shishi from the control of the Black Crown by destroying their seals, she had weakened the seals Shishi placed on her memories of being a Hyūga, causing her to slip into those old habits. This wouldn't have been so bad if they eroded over time to let Shishi's memories come back to her a little at a time, but when Inochi asked her about who she truly is, it completely destroyed the seals, causing those memories to come crashing back to her. Defensively, Shishi would try to attack Inochi, not knowing who she is because all those returned memories are drowning out the experiences she's had with Inochi. But before she could attack, Inochi locked her in place with the Mind Body Switch Technique and peered into her mind once more. She took her time, slowly showing Shishi the memories the two had together to help them coincide peacefully with Shishi's past memories. With the two united, Shishi was able to return to her former self, while also retaining her old memories. That's when she'd reveal everything to Inochi, and it was then she realized just how much Inochi means to her, and that she didn't want to be without her. As they made their way to Jikanogakure, Shishi's home, having gathered a bit of money from helping people with certain tasks, Shishi proposed to Inochi, showing her the rings she had saved up for. Inochi, accepting Shishi's hand in marriage, wore one of the rings. Their marriage was kept secret to make sure they wouldn't be discovered by the "Black Crown". During this time, Heiwa, the Jikanokage, brought Shishi up to speed with what's been going on. The organization they were after, and the one that took over Shishi, wasn't the Black Crown at all, but a much more dangerous terrorist organization. As Shishi was caught up, Heiwa offered them a proper home in the village, an offer they both accepted. Finally being home once again, Shishi returned the armor back to its rightful place, wishing to turn over a new leaf. Appearance Shishi is incredibly tall for someone of her size. At over six feet in height, she towers over most of her peers, and her lean but muscular frame allows her to overpower most of the opposition that fights against her. She's a titan through and through, and her size and physical appearance display it. Her hair is unruly, commonly tied to the side, revealing the right side bare while her hair rests on the left side of her face, but every now and then, she will let it flow freely to demonstrate the beauty of the hues of brown that decorate her hair. Below the neck she wears a full undersuit, made of an incredibly durable mesh material designed specifically to absorb blows from even the sharpest blade and emerge unscathed. The black, red, and white all serve as complementary colors while also serving the purpose of heat retention in the coldest regions. Over this suit is a mighty suit of armor, designed by the greatest minds and armorsmiths of Jikanogakure. This armor, crafted from a chunk of meteorite, is incredibly durable and can withstand even the heaviest of attacks. Adorned at the chest is a green jewel that serves as a chakra regulator for the armor's special purpose; The armor is aligned with several interior rods that expand and contract based on the user's movements, and manipulate chakra flow to increase or decrease it when necessary. Around the collar of armor is a golden cusp meant to protect the collar bone completely. At the shoulders are two heavy pauldrons bearing the village's symbol, and are wrapped with bracea mde of gold meant to equalize the upper weight. At the arms are matching gauntles with golden overlays that are scratch and cut resistant, allowing Shishi to easily block sharp or blunt attacks and even shatter the blades of more weaker swords. Below the waist is a belt made of hand crafted leather, clasped with two pieces of armor around the hips. Below the waist are the greaves. These heavy greaves are adorned with thrusters that serve to increase Shishi's speed and sudden turn movements to incredible levels. To prevent damage caused by inertia, the rods in the greaves double as cushions meant to protect the sensitive nerves and blood vessels from harm. The lower jewel in the armor powers the thrusters in the greaves and is protected by a heavy layer of gold. Personality To say Shishi is hardheaded would be quite an understatement. As someone who has always solved her problems with her fists, Shishi is a no nonsense woman who will use her imposing size and strength to back up her arguments. She'll sooner punch someone in the jaw than listen to their side of the argument if it doesn't fit her side of the story. But on the other side of this heavy coin, she's very protective of the ones she cares about, and will throw herself in front of whatever apocalypse comes in the way of those she is close to. She's also much smarter than she would appear, and has been across the entire world acting as reconnaissance for Jikanogakure's allies. She's observant, hyperactively so, and will pick up that something's wrong in a heartbeat. The way she puts it, the longer one starts looking for something wrong, the more the patterns become predictable. Abilities Shishi is the epitome of a trained covert op. Having been trained in the art of stealth and diversions, Shishi stands at the precipice of elite spy work. What she learned in four years served to keep her safe during the time she spent abroad. She was invaluable in bringing an end to countless corrupt organizations that served to cripple the villages they claimed they were benefitting. She has exposed secrets that most others spent years trying to bring to light and has been instrumental in taking down drug and military cartels that strongarmed everyone in their path to get what they want. And she did this all without anyone ever knowing her true identity. Those that found out, it was too late for them. She is a master of the angle of surprise and has infiltrated everything, from simple office organizations to massive military complexes. The things she learned spying against the Black Crown revealed vital plan routes and supplies they kept with them, which the Allied Shinobi Forces used to cripple the Black Crown until all that was left in the war were skirmishers who still believed they had a chance. All in all, if there's anything that involved the art of covert operations, Shishi has done it several times over. She can get a layout of her surroundings almost instantly, by merely seeing the walls around her, and can even determine its structural integrity by merely tapping against the floor. She's never lost, never unaware of where she is. Everything comes together like pieces to a puzzle; All she needs is a little time and some breathing room, and she can find out what the building is made of, when it was built based on its material, and how much damage it can sustain. And fifty years of isolation hasn't done anything to hamper her skills in spy work. She's still as sharp as a razor, one that's been honed and sharpened through years of repetition and perfection. Taijutsu As someone who is forbodingly strong and large in frame, it was only natural Shishi would want to use her size and strength in close quarters combat. Shishi was trained by the premiere taijutsu master in Jikanogakure; Its Kage, Heiwa Ekazu. Heiwa taught her the intracacies of the Strong Fist style, which evolved into full contact destruction of the body; The dangerous art of Muay Boran. An ancient martial art that had been in use since the Warring States Period, it was once considered forbidden shortly after the war not because of its lethality, but how it produces that lethality, Muay Boran had only been recently allowed to be trained in under stricter circumstances at the time, diminishing its effectiveness in combat and reducing it to merely a martial arts for sport. But Muay Boran was still strong within Heiwa, who passed it onto Shishi. A destructive, but artistic martial art that focuses on breaking the opponent via manipulation, and the breaking, of limbs. By catching a punch, Shishi can pull her opponent and thrust her elbow into their ribs with enough force to render ribs into splinters. Shishi relies a lot on using an opponent's offense to break them, by turning their attacks into openings to break legs, arms, everything. With Shishi's strength and size, she is a dangerous opponent, one that no one ever wants to get close to. Pinpoint strikes destroy the body in seconds and take the fight out of the opponent by breaking them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She is also very proficient in Gentle Fist, but having just recently recovered her memories as a Hyūga, she has much she needs to relearn. Byakugan Being a member of the prestigious Hyūga clan, Shishi possesses their cherished Kekkei Genkai; The Byakugan. This powerful dōjutsu grants Shishi incredible visual prowess. The Byakugan enables Shishi to see in a 359.9 degree radius, ensuring little to nothing can escape her gaze. On top of this, she can also focus on an object several kilometers away as if she was standing right in front of it, making the Byakugan perfect for reconnaissance from a safe distance. But the Byakugan's most treasured capability is enabling the user to see the opponent's internal chakra pathways. This allows perfect usage of the Gentle Fist art, which relies heavily on precision strikes against the sensitive tenketsu that flow chakra evenly throughout the body. Disrupting these tenketsu causes severe bodily damage and can even cause full body paralysis depending on how many tenketsu are damaged by the attack. Shishi takes the Byakugan to an entirely new level. By utilizing the Byakugan's focusing powers, Shishi can pinpoint the weakest areas of the body by looking at it at extremely close distances. With this information in hand, Shishi can end a fight in a single strike by completely destroying that weakened portion of the body. When using the Byakugan in tandem with her Muay Boran, Shishi can completely break her opponents in ways one would never think possible. Speed Despite being well armored, Shishi takes pride in her speed. As a covert ops, having the right speed meant the difference between escaping a high security complex alive and becoming a prisoner or dead. As such, Shishi always did everything to improve her speed, constantly wearing weighted clothing while running in order to condition her body for greater speed. Each time she became comfortable with a set of weights, she'd move up, and kept at this for as long as she could. Every opportunity she got between operations was focused on speed and stealth, with a lot of focus on the latter. But having great speed means nothing without the proper reflexes. So to sharpen her reflexes, Shishi would set up impromptu hedge mazes and run through them as fast as she can, using velocity times distance to calculate when she needed to change direction. This also served the purpose of greately improving her flexibility, allowing her to perform sharp, on the fly turns to redirect herself in a moment's notice. During her time in covert ops, Shishi wore light clothing that allowed her full freedom of movement. This gave her the opportunity to close the distance on a potential target in a very short amount of time, even at great distances, her light steps making her a specter unseen by the enemy forces around her. By the time they realized their commander was dead, Shishi was already gone. When she needed to make a quick getaway, wide corridors allowed her to take advantage of her speed and reflexes to make quick, sudden changes in direction, altering her velocity on the fly. In battle, all three of these come together to create a finely tuned machine. By closing the distance on her opponent, Shishi can quickly alter her velocity to quickly strike and opponent's blind side while they're still focused on Shishi's frontal movements. In tight corners, Shishi can utilize her sharp reflexes to quickly evade flurries of attacks, waiting for that perfect opening to deliver a brutal counterstrike. While armored, flexibility becomes an issue. Due to all of the armor plating, Shishi's movements become very restricted, which makes quick changes in direction difficult, but not entirely impossible. But what Shishi loses in flexibility, she gains something that's equally as useful. The increased mass provided by her armor makes her strikes much more heavier, dealing greater damage alongside her high speed, even more so when used in conjunction with her armor's built in thrusters. These thrusters are built into the greaves and can increase Shishi's speed even further by using her chakra, and has several restraints that can be released for even greater speed, but at the cost of increased chakra drain. But this comes with its own drawbacks. Heavy objects don't like to stop, and it takes a lot to stop their forward momentum, so Shishi has to dedicate every single strike to the end. Sudden stops of strikes could cause severe joint damage, and could potentially break bone, so Shishi has to make sure if she misses, she still carries the attack through. This can all be mitigated by retracting the armor into the device built into her undersuit, giving her the freedom of movement she had while in her old covert ops uniform, but she loses the increased impact damage and sacrifices the protection her armor provides. All in all, Shishi's speed is a delicate balancing act between armored, augmented speed that sacrifices freedom of movement for brutal damage, or natural speed and full movement at the sacrifice of protection and strength. This speed can be amplified even further by an application she calls "Flow". In this state, Shishi's speed is amplified immensely. As Shishi's body goes into autopilot, muscle activity is relaxed, and even the softest movements can send her at amazing speed, With ease of movement, Shishi's speed is amplified to levels not even her armor could provide. The catch is this can only be done by keeping her mind focused on the situation at hand. Any deviations from her current mindset can cause her body to crash. Quotes